The Shawshank Redemption (September 24th, 2008) I really enjoyed this movie.To put this out on the table, I am a die hard sentimentalist, meaning I cry at movies basically, at the drop of a hat.I crave happy endings and ponder all night sad ones.Although I do agree that the 15 minutes of horrible, was eclipsed by the warm fuzzy feelings of escape and friendship.But hey, I’m into that.On the cinematic level the filming was amazing.Transition shots and aerial shots were smooth, beautifully done.The music held the movie together well, adding suspense here, and anticipation there.I applaud Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman’s performances.I’m glad that the director went with Freeman to play the part of Red, even though the character was originally of Irish descent.The themes of hope, innocence, karma, and friendship bring me (and many others, I’m sure) joy.This film is now one of my favorites, and I hope to one day place it on my movie shelf to enjoy endlessly in the future.
Casablanca
Casablanca is the best white house I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing.The actors and actresses were superb.Humphrey Bogart.Enough said.The plot is twisty turning and smexy at every turn.You never know what’s going to happen, and when it does happen it is not what you were expecting.The cinematic elements were the best they could be for the time period and even if it could be redone today, it would or it should be done as it was, because the atmosphere created MADE this movie.One thing that irked me at every turn was the glistening eyes.I mean there are only so many times that crying is necessary or possible.Other than that, thing that amazed me or contributed to the movie would be the use of bars on Victor Lazlo which symbolized his plight with capture.All in all, the movie is fantastic and I’m sure that it is as fantastic as it was when it first came out.For this reason and many more, Casablanca is truly a classic.
On the Waterfront
Directed by Elia Kazan, produced by Sam Spiegel, written by Budd Schulberg, starring Marlon Brando (Terry Malloy), Karl Malden (Father Barry), Lee J. Cobb (Johnny Friendly), Eva Marie Saint (Edie Doyle), and Rob Steiger (Charley Malloy). Basically tells the story of mob dealings and corruption on the docks of New York City based on a 24-part series of articles written by Malcolm Johnson in 1949. Terry Malloy is unwittingly the accomplice of a murder for the mob run by Johnny Friendly. When the deceased's sister takes the torch to solve the puzzle of her brother's mysterious death, chaos ensues. It doesn't help that Terry and Edie fall in love along the way, only to have a major upset when the truth behind the killing is discovered. The story tells of morality, right and wrong, defining each and asessing their values. In the end, the good over powers the evil, with Terry leading the emancipated dock workers into the dock house. Aside from being brilliantly entertaining, this film shows many new concepts/methods in the area of cinematography. My favorite part had to be, hands down, the part where Edie drops her glove and Terry all smooth like picks it up and plays with it innocently, GENIUS! This happened to be my first time viewing the film, and I am dulely impressed. Well Done.
The Graduate (1967)
Starring Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin, a recent college graduate who is worried about his future. Amidst all these life changing decisions, he feels rushed, confused and well perhaps not prepared. To top all those swirling emtions off is the fact that no one seems to listen, mean giving him a scotch when he asked clearly for a bourbon, gah! Not to mention the fact the wife of your father's partner wants to have her way with you, never mind the fact that she is devishly good looking, I mean she could be his mother! But well what's a confused little boy to do? So starts a whirlwind affair, that comes colliding into a brick wall when Ben falls for the Robinson daughter. In the end they run away together, overwhelmed by passion/love, with the sweet sound of silence play in the background as they perhaps realize the mistake or possible reprocussions. I thought the film was odd, to say the least. Covering topics that were revolutionary and dangerous. A compeling story, but the ending was just a bunch of philosophical possibilities. It can be interpreted in some many ways that I almost wonder if the directors goal/moral becomes muddled. In any case it was a good watch, recieving 3 out of 5 stars.
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
And so begins our unit on Film Noir. Hard-boiled detectives and lucious femme fatales, what's not to love? And Humphrey Bogart, mmmhmmm.... Ahem, well. All in all the movie was a beautifully done black and white film that got its vividness from the high contrast between black/white but mostly from its colorful cast of characters. In film noir's you really are not supposed to know exactly what the outcome of the story is going to be. Twisty plots and random rock falls of turning events keep you guessing. For me the most memorable/home-hitting event was the ending. They admit they love eachother, there's even a passionate embrace but he still hands her over to the cops. Now thats hard boiled, through and through. Loved it! 5 out of 5 stars all the way.
Chinatown (1974) Directed by Roman Polanski. With Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston. After continuing our education about the Film Noir genre, basically laying down all the characteristics: light vs. dark, dectective(usually of questionable morals, but very dedicated to them), dangerously seductive females and some form of conflict involving mobs/gangs/groups of organized evil doers. Jack Nicholson's performance was spectacular. He played the rock hard detective with a few minor changes, such as the fact that he wasn't all about money and was somewhat of a softy for beautiful women. In other ways this film kept up with its genre's expectations. The plot twisted and turned around every bend. And surprises just popped out of thin air. Although the ending was sad, and I generally dislike sad endings, it was in my opinion very effective at addressing the true moral hidden behind the plot. All in all I give it 5 out of 5 stars, a first for a non-happy ending film for me.
Do The Right Thing (1989)
In all a true masterpiece of cinematic work. Even though the plot and characters have been critized as lacking true definition. Leaving many viewers critics displeased and somewhat angry. True at the end of the film viewers are left wondering what the heck Spike Lee meant when he titled the movie "Do the right thing?", who did the right thing? Did anyone actually do the right thing??? AHHHH. Sigh, its all a matter of perspective I suppose. I believe that Lee leads the viewers to where he wants them to be. We, the viewers, are pulled by the leash into liking certain characters and certain situations. But when we most seem to need direction, in the calamity of the brawl and death of Raheem, Spike Lee lets go. He just lets us go, perhaps so that we ourselves figure out how we feel. This is ridiculous however since it is completely confusing and complicated. I don't think that I've had to do so much emotional sorting since I found out Santa wasn't real. BUT don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie. It was interesting to watch and thought provoking to feel. The camera angles were successful in making me pay more attention to the scene, it was like showing how weird real life can be, and perhaps it was used to point out the how ludicris the situation actually has become in the pizzeria. 4 out of 5 stars.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Starring Jack Nicholson as Randle P. McMurphy a rebelious felon, Louise Fletcher as the institutionally evil Nurse Ratched and Will Sampson as Chief. Directed by Milos Forman with photography directed by Haskell Wexler and music by Jack Nitzsche.
I really enjoyed this movie. To put this out on the table, I am a die hard sentimentalist, meaning I cry at movies basically, at the drop of a hat. I crave happy endings and ponder all night sad ones. Although I do agree that the 15 minutes of horrible, was eclipsed by the warm fuzzy feelings of escape and friendship. But hey, I’m into that. On the cinematic level the filming was amazing. Transition shots and aerial shots were smooth, beautifully done. The music held the movie together well, adding suspense here, and anticipation there. I applaud Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman’s performances. I’m glad that the director went with Freeman to play the part of Red, even though the character was originally of Irish descent. The themes of hope, innocence, karma, and friendship bring me (and many others, I’m sure) joy. This film is now one of my favorites, and I hope to one day place it on my movie shelf to enjoy endlessly in the future.
Casablanca
Casablanca is the best white house I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing. The actors and actresses were superb. Humphrey Bogart. Enough said. The plot is twisty turning and smexy at every turn. You never know what’s going to happen, and when it does happen it is not what you were expecting. The cinematic elements were the best they could be for the time period and even if it could be redone today, it would or it should be done as it was, because the atmosphere created MADE this movie. One thing that irked me at every turn was the glistening eyes. I mean there are only so many times that crying is necessary or possible. Other than that, thing that amazed me or contributed to the movie would be the use of bars on Victor Lazlo which symbolized his plight with capture. All in all, the movie is fantastic and I’m sure that it is as fantastic as it was when it first came out. For this reason and many more, Casablanca is truly a classic.
On the Waterfront
Directed by Elia Kazan, produced by Sam Spiegel, written by Budd Schulberg, starring Marlon Brando (Terry Malloy), Karl Malden (Father Barry), Lee J. Cobb (Johnny Friendly), Eva Marie Saint (Edie Doyle), and Rob Steiger (Charley Malloy). Basically tells the story of mob dealings and corruption on the docks of New York City based on a 24-part series of articles written by Malcolm Johnson in 1949. Terry Malloy is unwittingly the accomplice of a murder for the mob run by Johnny Friendly. When the deceased's sister takes the torch to solve the puzzle of her brother's mysterious death, chaos ensues. It doesn't help that Terry and Edie fall in love along the way, only to have a major upset when the truth behind the killing is discovered. The story tells of morality, right and wrong, defining each and asessing their values. In the end, the good over powers the evil, with Terry leading the emancipated dock workers into the dock house. Aside from being brilliantly entertaining, this film shows many new concepts/methods in the area of cinematography. My favorite part had to be, hands down, the part where Edie drops her glove and Terry all smooth like picks it up and plays with it innocently, GENIUS! This happened to be my first time viewing the film, and I am dulely impressed. Well Done.
The Graduate (1967)
Starring Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin, a recent college graduate who is worried about his future. Amidst all these life changing decisions, he feels rushed, confused and well perhaps not prepared. To top all those swirling emtions off is the fact that no one seems to listen, mean giving him a scotch when he asked clearly for a bourbon, gah! Not to mention the fact the wife of your father's partner wants to have her way with you, never mind the fact that she is devishly good looking, I mean she could be his mother! But well what's a confused little boy to do? So starts a whirlwind affair, that comes colliding into a brick wall when Ben falls for the Robinson daughter. In the end they run away together, overwhelmed by passion/love, with the sweet sound of silence play in the background as they perhaps realize the mistake or possible reprocussions. I thought the film was odd, to say the least. Covering topics that were revolutionary and dangerous. A compeling story, but the ending was just a bunch of philosophical possibilities. It can be interpreted in some many ways that I almost wonder if the directors goal/moral becomes muddled. In any case it was a good watch, recieving 3 out of 5 stars.
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
And so begins our unit on Film Noir. Hard-boiled detectives and lucious femme fatales, what's not to love? And Humphrey Bogart, mmmhmmm.... Ahem, well. All in all the movie was a beautifully done black and white film that got its vividness from the high contrast between black/white but mostly from its colorful cast of characters. In film noir's you really are not supposed to know exactly what the outcome of the story is going to be. Twisty plots and random rock falls of turning events keep you guessing. For me the most memorable/home-hitting event was the ending. They admit they love eachother, there's even a passionate embrace but he still hands her over to the cops. Now thats hard boiled, through and through. Loved it! 5 out of 5 stars all the way.
Chinatown (1974)
Directed by Roman Polanski. With Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston. After continuing our education about the Film Noir genre, basically laying down all the characteristics: light vs. dark, dectective(usually of questionable morals, but very dedicated to them), dangerously seductive females and some form of conflict involving mobs/gangs/groups of organized evil doers. Jack Nicholson's performance was spectacular. He played the rock hard detective with a few minor changes, such as the fact that he wasn't all about money and was somewhat of a softy for beautiful women. In other ways this film kept up with its genre's expectations. The plot twisted and turned around every bend. And surprises just popped out of thin air. Although the ending was sad, and I generally dislike sad endings, it was in my opinion very effective at addressing the true moral hidden behind the plot. All in all I give it 5 out of 5 stars, a first for a non-happy ending film for me.
Do The Right Thing (1989)
In all a true masterpiece of cinematic work. Even though the plot and characters have been critized as lacking true definition. Leaving many viewers critics displeased and somewhat angry. True at the end of the film viewers are left wondering what the heck Spike Lee meant when he titled the movie "Do the right thing?", who did the right thing? Did anyone actually do the right thing??? AHHHH. Sigh, its all a matter of perspective I suppose. I believe that Lee leads the viewers to where he wants them to be. We, the viewers, are pulled by the leash into liking certain characters and certain situations. But when we most seem to need direction, in the calamity of the brawl and death of Raheem, Spike Lee lets go. He just lets us go, perhaps so that we ourselves figure out how we feel. This is ridiculous however since it is completely confusing and complicated. I don't think that I've had to do so much emotional sorting since I found out Santa wasn't real. BUT don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie. It was interesting to watch and thought provoking to feel. The camera angles were successful in making me pay more attention to the scene, it was like showing how weird real life can be, and perhaps it was used to point out the how ludicris the situation actually has become in the pizzeria. 4 out of 5 stars.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Starring Jack Nicholson as Randle P. McMurphy a rebelious felon, Louise Fletcher as the institutionally evil Nurse Ratched and Will Sampson as Chief. Directed by Milos Forman with photography directed by Haskell Wexler and music by Jack Nitzsche.